WASHINGTON POST • September 18, 2022
Life is noisier than ever. The National Park Service estimates noise pollution increases two- to three-fold every 30 years. The WHO estimates 65% of Europeans live with noise levels that are hazardous. And it’s not just auditory noise. It’s informational noise, too. The average person in the U.S. consumes at least 5 times more information on any given day than she did a generation ago. Noise — of both the literal and figurative kinds — is not just an irritant. It’s a hazard to our mental and physical health. History shows there could be a way forward. Fifty years ago, President Nixon signed the Noise Control Act aimed to give Americans the right to a reasonably quiet environment. It created the federal Office of Noise Abatement and Control with a mandate to coordinate research on noise, set federal auditory emission standards for products, and provide assistance to state and local governments to reduce noise pollution. The Reagan administration dismantled the federal noise control programs. We’re living in a world where quiet and focused attention are extraordinarily scarce. It’s time for government once again to honor peace and quiet as a public good. ~ Justin Zorn and Leigh Marz, co-authors of “Golden: The Power of Silence in a World of Noise”